Tomb Raider: The Ark of the Covenant
by fatal frame fanatic
Summary: Solving puzzles, avoiding traps, raiding tombs, its all in a days work for Lara Croft! Join her as she crosses the globe in seach of the Ark of the Covenant in her first adventure ever! COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1: Cambodia Victory Short Lived

_Chapter 1: Cambodia- Victory short lived_ All around was quiet. The tomb seemed to be so peaceful. It was 1993 on a bright, cool day in Cambodia. British archaeologist and adventurer Lara Croft stood in the silent tomb. It was the tomb her father, famous writer, adventurer, "genius", and 10th Earl of Abbington Lord Richard Croft had "disappeared" in when she was at the shy age of 15. Her mother, 10th Countess of Abbington Lady Amelia Croft had vanished when she was nine in Nepal after the horrific plane crash in the Himalayas where Lara and her mother were the only survivors. After her mother vanished in an unknown tomb after removing a sword, Lara took a ten day solo trek to a village called Katmandu where she was replenished and her father was called to come get her. For six years she never left his side, going with him as he traveled, looking for her dear mother. On the trip to Cambodia however he disappeared, his body never found and Lara, at the age of 15, was the 11th Countess of Abbington. With her father's body never found however she couldn't inherit the vast Croft Manor just yet, and she waged a bitter family feud as her uncle Lord Errol Croft tried to take over the Abbington estates that is the Croft Manor. Lara inherited the manor however, and her passion for travelling taken after her father and the winning of the inheritance caused a deep rift in the Croft family and Lara was disowned by much of her living relatives. After the disappearance of her father she continued to do some minor travelling. At one point she became obsessed with a different adventurer, Professor Werner Von Croy. When she was 16 he took her to the Temple of Angkor Wat in Cambodia to look for an artifact called the Iris. It was the same thing her father had been looking for. There it she found the brown backpack that she still uses today to store her findings and other items on her trip. They had eventually come across a giant orb that opened up as a sliced onion. Inside was the Iris and Von Croy's eagerness and lust for artifacts was the death of him. The temple collapsed with Von Croy inside. Several months later, her butler, Winston, was talking with Father Dunstan about going to the haunted Black Isle. Lara snuck out and accompanied him. Until the day her father disappeared it was only Father and Winston's secret that she had went. Well now here Lara was in the temple about 45 miles adjacent to the ruins of the Angkor Wat Temple, looking for any signs that may lead to where her father was. Lara crouched down, her brown shorts rolled up to her thighs as far as they would go. Her pistols shifted a little in their holsters. She brushed around the ground near an excavation site that an archeologist group had dug out looking for her father. Her long brunette braided ponytail fell over her shoulder. "Lara! Hey Lara!" She looked up as a good friend of hers, a beautiful African American woman named Anaya Imanu came jogging up. Lara, Anaya, and a group of several other people were all part of an excavation team. "We found some more bones, this time a skull was included!" Anaya finished with a big breath, and she turned and began running back to the others, Lara close behind. Amanda Evert, Kent Billings, and Sarah Wood were bent by a roped off area. Lara stepped past them and knelt down by the skull. "So…?" Amanda asked. Amanda was a good friend of her's. She had a smaller chest, short blonde hair, and piercing, deep icy blue eyes. She had a deep thrill for mystical things and reality. They argued occasionally, but nothing serious, usually politics or rare things found over the world. Lara didn't know whether to be happy or sad. It definitely wasn't her father, the head was to big. Her father had been a handsome man. Well, she was relieved he wasn't dead but now she was back to square one, she still had no idea on the whereabouts of her father. "No." Lara said quickly. "It's not him." She stood up, throwing her braided hair back. 

"I think we should call it a day guys." Eva Long said. Lara sighed.

"How are you coming with the site in Peru?" Lara asked. There was a recently discovered tomb there that Lara believed contained the last queen of Tiwanaku. "We haven't been able to get the tomb opened up yet, but progress is great!" said Jason Metric. Lara smiled.

"Good. Well, I'm gonna look around these ruins some more." She said as the other began packing up and leaving. "Okay, be careful Lara." Anaya cautioned her with the thick Jamaican accent. She smiled.

"I will, thank you."

Anaya grabbed her things and followed the others. Lara walked back over to the old tomb. It was really magnificent, with 4 large Asian type granite pillars at the front and arches leading all the way to the back of the tomb. Sets of stairs led bellow the tomb to the offering room, burial area, and a sealed door. Lara walked inside the tomb, her boots making reverberating sounds on the old stone floor. She heard a sound, then stopped. It sounded like a stone moving against another stone. She turned around and saw a section of the floor was moving. She stepped back on top of it until it was down completely and looked around. A section of the stone wall at the back of the tomb opened, revealing a dark hallway. She looked around and saw several crates.

She leaned over as far as she could and pulled some on top of the floor to keep pressure on it and walked over to the secret passage, drawing one of her pistols calmly. She kicked a rock that was at her feet down the hall. A few seconds later she heard the sounds of something _swoosh_ and then the sound of stone breaking as apparently the floor shifted. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a flare and threw it into the hallway. The same thing repeated, only this time Lara saw what was going on. A large blade, almost like a pendulum, swung down from the ceiling, and then the floor split, revealing a spiked pit. "Too easy…" Lara thought. She kicked another rock, and sprinted down the hall as the traps activated. As soon as the blade swept across, she leaped over the section of the floor that opened, avoiding the spike trap. She got up and brushed her knees of, smiling with satisfaction. She continued down the hall, another flare in one hand and her pistol on the other. At the end a large stone casket shaped object was pressed again the wall.

She set the flare down and holstered her gun and then tried to lift the top of the casket. It was extremely heavy. She saw that there was an inscription on the top. It was hard to read, but Lara could make out enough words.

"He who open this casket shall not leave" 

She snickered at the ancient warning. Of course this would set off some traps, but Lara was getting used to it. She was still rather new at raiding tombs on her own but she knew what she was doing. Lara gave the casket several good kicks and then tried to lift the top again. It moved and she pushed it over. A putrid smell came out, and Lara clipped her nose and looked inside. She gasped. This is what her father had been looking for. The King of Cambodia during the 6th century, Bhavavarman I. In his hand was a long thick staff made of acacia wood overlaid with precious, beautiful gold.

Lara recognized it instantly. It was one of the two wooden bars made to carry the precious Ark of the Covenant. The Ark itself was a box made on the command of God to store the stone tablets that was the covenant to god, basically the Ten Commandments were etched on the tablets. It too was made of the finest acacia wood covered in a decorative sheathing of the purest gold with a golden ring on each corner of the Ark where the two bars would go through to carry the Ark since it couldn't be touched directly. If it was touched directly the skin would boil as if in acid and then the insides of the person would liquefy. This supposedly helped the Israelites defeat their enemies. God or the high priest could only touch the lid or "Mercy Seat". Lara had read the Bible and researched a lot on the Ark. The fate of it is different in many contexts.

She had read that it was just taken away by divine intervention, or stolen and hidden away in the temple it was built at. No one knew for sure. Lara gripped the staff tightly, wishing her father could be here. There was a slight rumble underneath her. It was low at first, but it was growing steadily. Lara started back down the hallway. Opening the casket and taking the staff must have started a timed trap, but deactivated the one in the hall. She stepped back into the large open area of the tomb and saw that the floor was slowly breaking away, the stone squares cracking and then falling into the blackness underneath the tomb. Lara broke out into a sprint across the tomb. A section of the floor broke away as she reached it, and she did a diving roll to avoid plunging to her death. She regained composure and resumed her sprint. As she neared the door the quake cased the pillars to start collapsing, and the entranceway crumbled. She looked around and saw a large opening to her far left. She made a break for it when suddenly the far-left pillar outside fell and broke through the roof of the tomb. The sound was enormous. It would take only a few seconds until this exit would me blocked off. Lara fell to her feet in a baseball sliding position and made it under the pillar before it fell and completely obliterated the rest of the floor and tomb. She jumped out of the exit and began rolling down through the thick jungle of Cambodia. She heard the rushing of water in the distance as she tried to regain her footing.

She heard the explosion of sound as the tomb crumbled behind her. Finally she hit flat ground, landing hard on her bottom. Thankfully she had managed to keep a hold of the staff and it was intact. She smiled. "Ah, if it isn't Miss Croft. Raiding tombs again?"

Lara didn't recognize the voice, but it sounded like it belonged to a handsome Italian man who was probably built well. She looked up. It did. The man was about six foot three with short black hair and very handsome features. His eyes were a bright emerald shade of green. His jaw was masculine and square. Lara smiled as he offered his hand to help her up and she stood slowly on her own to her feet. He shrugged and pulled his hand away.

"My name is Riccardo Bianchi. I'm the leader of an Italian branch of a worldwide expedition team and I've come to this temple looking for a certain object that you have in your hand right there." His voice had a thick Italian accent. His eyes glazed over her body down to the staff. She glanced behind him to see about five well-suited men in sunglasses standing motionless with their hands crossed and M16's strapped to their backs. Riccardo also had one, along with a large black magnum on his belt. "I think I stole this fair and square."  
Lara said with determination. Riccardo laughed. The others did as well, like they were ordered to laugh when Riccardo did. She snorted at them. "Now, Lara, I'm going to steal it from _you_ fair and square."

"I don't think so." She replied quickly. His hand started going toward the butt of the magnum. Lara rested her palms on her hips, making sure her fingers grazed her guns as she lightly traced the handle of them. "I have some too _Mr. Bianchi._" She said, smiling. His face twisted into a disappointed snarl. "Miss Croft I think you need to hand over that artifact there or…" He stopped and looked over toward the forest. Another guard came out with a struggling Anaya, his hand over her mouth and a handgun in the other, the barrel trained on Anaya's head. Lara felt her eye's widen and she drew a pistol and trained it on the man who had Anaya. "Let her go right now." She said. Riccardo stepped in the middle.

"Ah ah, now now Lara. Don't be like that. You just give us the staff and you'll get your friend back." Lara looked over to Riccardo.

"How do I then know for sure that you won't try and kill me?"

He snorted this time. "I'm not gonna kill you."

"I said you'd _try_." She said with a bit of sarcasm.

Anaya struggled again as the man apparently pressed the gun harder to her head. "This is no time for word games. Just give me that staff. Just _trust_ me." She kept her gun trained on the guard and her eyes trained on Riccardo and she slowly handed over the staff. He reached out and jerked it away from her. He then looked over at the guard. "Let her go…" He did so, and Anaya rubbed her mouth, then walked over toward Lara, glaring at the man. "See, I am a man of my word Miss Croft, but I have a very busy schedule so if you don't mind…" He turned and walked toward the sound of the water, the guards following. A few seconds later she heard the sound of helicopters and she saw two of them lift up from the jungle and fly off. She turned toward Anaya. "Why are you still here?" She asked.

"I left my tool box and bag, and when I came back the tomb was collapsing. I was worried you were still in there, and then that damned guard caught me." Lara sighed.

"What was that thing anyway?" Anaya asked.

"It was one of the staffs used to carry the Ark of the Covenant." Anaya made a small sound.

"_The_ Ark of the Covenant? The one that supposedly has the original Ten Commandments written by God?" Lara nodded.

"And them bloody Italians just made off with _my_ staff and I want it back." She said angrily and turned and began walking over toward Anaya's yellow Ducati Jeep. "I need to go home and talk with Winston and Zip." She said. Anaya followed.

"Why, what are you going to do?" She asked, getting into the drivers seat.

"What do you mean? I'm going after what is rightfully mine." She said with a smile.


	2. Chapter 2: Bahamas Yatch Party

Chapter 2: Bahamas- Yatch Party 

"Ah, welcome home Lady Croft. Let me take your bags." Winston said, greeting Lara happily at the glass double doors of Croft Manor. She smiled, handing over her backpack filled with her ammunition and a medical kit. She pulled her hair out of the braid and let it fall down her back and over her shoulders. "Lara! Welcome home!" Zip, her young, attractive partner came up to her. "What's new?" He asked, eager to help.

"I need you to find whatever you can on the Ark of the Covenant and a Mr. Riccardo Bianchi." He smiled and ran back toward his tech room. Lara sat down on her luxurious couch, but quickly sat up, anger at the thought of having to just give Riccardo the staff. Anaya walked in behind Winston. "I'm sorry Lara. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."

"Don't worry, I'm getting it back." She said, noticing just how different her high class British accent was compared to Anaya's exotic Jamaican one. "Lara! Come here!" Zip called from the tech room. She smiled and Anaya followed her to Zip's little office. "What have you got?" Lara asked, leaning over to his laptop.

"Well, According to the Bible, the two tablets of stone constituting the "testimony" or evidence of God's covenant with the people were kept within the Ark itself. A golden jar containing some of the manna from the Israelites' trek in the wilderness and the rod of Aaron that budded were added to the contents of the Ark, but apparently were later removed at some point prior to the building of Solomon's temple. The Tanakh states in I Kings 8:9 that there "was nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone." And you have read that the fate of the Ark isn't really known. It is generally accepted it was smuggled back to the temple it was built at." Lara nodded.

"Okay, what about Riccardo?" Zip laughed.

"Well, Riccardo was born in 1965 and grew up in Italy…"

_That would make him 28…_ Thought Lara.

"He was in a very wealthy family-" Lara cut him off.

"Was…?"

"Well, his parents were both gunned down in a bank robbery when he was 16. The robbers had his parents and several other people hostage and when someone refused to comply with their demands he killed them both. The robbers happened to be British, so he isn't to fond of the English now. Also, when he turned 18 he started doing underwear modeling and different clothing style modeling." Lara remembered noticing how attractive he was.

"Here is a picture of him when he was around 23." Zip turned the monitor for her to get a better view. There was a man standing with one hand on his hip and one slumped by his side. His head was titled slightly, and he had a provocative smile on his face. His emerald eyes seemed to glow, and his black hair was radiant. It looked like he was standing in a bedroom and was wearing only a black pair of tight Calvin Klein boxer briefs. Lara gazed at his body, which was slim yet muscular. She remembered today he seemed to be a little more built. "Well, when he turned 25 he left the modeling business and joined an Italian branch of a worldwide adventuring group and got involved with some sort of Italian Mafia."

"Mafia…?" Lara asked.

"Yeah, apparently he's a sort of "hitman for hire" and is actually pretty adept with firearms. He also owns his own little business where he shows off artifacts he finds from all around the world." Lara smiled and took the mouse from Zip and clicked on the words "Most recent discoveries" A page came up showing some ancient Ming Vases.

"Oh look at that, he's showing off _my_ staff at a yatch party Friday night on the coast of the Bahamas…" Lara said with a smirk.

"What does that mean?" Zip asked. Lara laughed.

"Hmmm, I've never been to the Bahamas before…" She turned and headed toward the staircase, in need of a nice hot shower.

The white limo holding Lara pulled up to the boardwalk leading to a giant yatch. Winston decided that since Riccardo had only invited movie stars and famous singers Lara should look like one to. To accompany that look Anaya had taken her to a very expensive Italian designer and gotten her an elegant black dress that came up to above her knee and tied in the back almost like a corset. The spaghetti straps lay on her shoulders gently, and the cut of the dress in the front was rather low. It was assured Lara would get in. "Okay," Zip started from the passenger seat of the limo, "you just go in, mingle a little bit, and when Riccardo isn't looking swipe the staff right from under his nose!" Lara smiled.

"Easier said than done."

"Also, here is your purse-" Winston started.

"I know I'm wearing a dress but a purse? Please…" Lara said with sarcasm.

"No Lara, you see. It has your pistols in them." Winston said, winking at her.

"Wait, I thought the plan was to, oh I don't know, _not_ cause any trouble?" Zip said a little nervously.

"On second thought…" Lara reached over and grabbed the purse.

Zip began to explain how to wear it "Now do you know were to put it? You just put the strap on your shoulder and-"

"I'm not stupid." Lara said smiling, and she stepped out. She had decided to let her hair stay down, but lightly spiral curl it. Anaya gave her thumbs up, and the limo sped off. Lara took in a deep breath and started up the boardwalk. Men and women of all races wearing expensive clothing and jewelry were smiling and laughing holding crystal glasses of probably champagne. At the end of the boardwalk a ruff looking bodyguard was standing, checking invitations apparently. Lara walked up to the guard. "Invitation please." He said almost machine like. Lara felt around her chest a little, as though it might be in her cleavage, then purposefully dropped her purse. "Silly me." She said, and knelt over more than needed then stood back up. "It seems like I left it in the limo…darn." The guard narrowed his eyes then looked around. "Go on inside. Don't tell anyone I did this." He said quickly. She smiled and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you." She walked onto the boat. The sun was setting slowly, resting just at the horizon casting purple, fiery orange, and crimson lights on the water and igniting the clouds with color. The boat was decorated with colorful fiesta lights strung around the boat, making it glow in pastel colors of amethyst, crimson, and lavender. Many glass tables set with three chairs were scattered around, and a large color was set up with bottles of champagne was set near the entrance. A gigantic stereo system was set up on the opposite end with a DJ managing music. Right now _Material Girl_ by Madonna was coming through the speakers, and several people were on the glass dance floor. Lara saw how the dance floor was set overtop of water, with strobe lights flashing feverishly. She smiled and walked over to help herself to a glass of champagne. "Well hello, I don't think I've seen you anywhere." Lara turned to the familiar, deep voice rich with the Italian accent.

"I'm Marco, Marco Bianchi. And you are?" Lara was amazed. It _looked_ like Riccardo, all the way down to the sparkling emerald eyes. The tuxedo he was wearing showed off his body nicely. "Marco?" Lara asked.

"Polo." He said. Lara giggled at the cheesy joke.

"I'm sorry, I just get that a lot. Apparently you've met Riccardo before me." He said almost depressed. "He always gets to the beautiful ones first."

Lara blushed. "Our meeting wasn't exactly pleasant." She said, gazing over to the people dancing. She took a sip of her champagne. "It's a good year. Riccardo always knows the best years for champagne." Lara nodded, her eyes locked at the balcony of the boat. There were people on the other side of the frosted glass double doors. Marco apparently noticed and followed her gaze. "That's Riccardo's room. He found a rare wood and gold staff in king Bhavavarman the first's tomb in Cambodia today." Lara felt her anger flare. "He found it huh?" Marco nodded. She smiled. The music died down and everyone slowly stopped moving. "Can I have your attention please?" The voice boomed from the balcony. Even their voices sounded the same. Riccardo came out from the double doors in a pin striped purple tux, his hair slicked back and his emerald eyes sparkling. Lara noticed that Marco's hair was like Riccardo's at the tomb, and she liked that better.  
"I have gathered you all here, my fellow explorers and family, to show you the fruits of my labors as the head of this division. He held up the staff, which was resting on a silk pillow lined with golden lace. "This, friends, is the Staff of the Ark, found in the Tomb of Bhavavarman the First today in Cambodia." Everyone oohed and awed and clapped as Riccardo smiled, holding the object. Marco didn't however. Riccardo walked down the steps, proudly displaying the object. "This is the greatest discovery ever! The staff used to carry the mythical, mysterious, and powerful Ark of the Covenant." He again showed off the staff, and everyone cheered. "Now please, enjoy my party." He finished, and everyone clapped as he entered the boat and the music started up,_ Thriller_ by Michael Jackson. "So anyway I didn't catch your name." Marco asked, turning back toward her. Lara's gaze was fixed on the door Riccardo had entered. "Catherine…" She lied.  
"Catherine…?"   
"Diaz." She finished, turning back toward him. He was smiling.  
"Lovely name."  
"Thank you." She said, and she finished her champagne.  
"So, would you like to dance?" He asked, holding his arm out. Lara took it.

"Of course." He pulled her out onto the dance floor and immediately wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. The beauty of his green eyes nullified her. They sparkled as he grinned. "You like them?" He said. Lara laughed.

"They're very pretty." She said. They began to move faster to the beat of the song.

"I like your eyes. There is a gold tint around the pupil, and they are a pretty shade of brown." Once again Lara laughed.

"I didn't think there was a pretty shade of brown." Marco thought that was hilarious. The doors from the boat opened up and Riccardo came out without the staff and walked back up to his bedroom. Lara pulled away. The music stopped, and a softer tune began playing. The sun had set so the boat was lit by the pastel shades of all the hanging lamps. "I have something I need to do. It was a pleasure meeting you Marco." He smiled and leaned over and brushed her hand lightly with his lips.

"The pleasure was mine Catherine." She smiled and walked toward the doors. She could feel Marco's emerald eyes on her back. She went through the doors and was in a deserted hallway, with several doors along the left wall and double doors at the end. She peered into the first door. It was a toilet. The next was the male restroom. After that however was a bedroom. It was empty so Lara slipped inside. There was an open laptop on the cluttered desk and a bookshelf against the far wall. Lara tip toed over to the desk and looked through several drawers. Inside was several miscellaneous items like a condom, magnum bullets, and files on excavation sites. Lara looked up at the laptop. It was stopped on a website about the Ark. Most of the info Lara already knew, so she clicked the files icon. Lots were documents about the Ark's staff, but one in particular caught her eye. It was addressed to Riccardo pertaining the Ark. Lara opened it.

_Dear Riccardo,_

_Good work on getting the Staff from Lady Croft. I take it wasn't too much trouble. I've looked at the pictures you sent of it and the designs etched into the gold actually look like a map. The problem is it's a map from Biblical times, so it's hard to decipher where is where. However there is a location marked, and I'm willing to bet it's the location of the other Staff. The story goes that once the Ark was taken from Jerusalem in advance of the Babylonians prince Menelik 1st (I'm not sure where he was prince at) took it back to it's original location and hid the Staffs in the tombs of kings. Well, at any rate good work on getting the one from Cambodia._

Lara looked up. "Well, theirs is a little more information, but where is that staff…?" She left the study room and went up to the double doors. She peered inside and saw a huge collection of different items. She went inside and was in awe. In the back inside a big glass case were several Terra Cotta Warrior soldier statues. Lining the wall were the Jade Ming Vases, and in the middle on a pedestal was the Staff of the Ark. "There you are." She whispered as she reached out and gently took the staff. As she pulled it away, an alarm began blaring and Lara pulled on of her pistols from the purse. "Oh no…" She thought. She turned and left the trophy room but stopped as several guards were blocking the way back to the party. "What are you doing?" One of them asked.

"Well, I was looking for the bathroom and-"

"Don't even. I'd advise you put that thing in your hand back before there is any trouble." The second one said. Lara laughed. "What? What's so funny?" The third guard asked her.

She just kept laughing and pointed behind them. Luckily all the guards turn, and she fired several shots before diving sideways back into the study. She heard one of the guards' howl in pain and the footsteps of the other two. They came rushing in, machine guns raised. Lara cracked the first one in the nose with the butt of her pistol, and fired two shots into the others legs. He fell to the ground, shooting his machine gun. She ran back out into the hallway where the third guard was clutching his shoulder in pain. "You stupid bitch! You shot me!"

"It's not like I meant to. I missed your head actually." She said in her sarcastic tone, and rushed back onto the deck. Everyone was gone, and Riccardo was standing with his henchmen at his side, the magnum raised. "Do you not know when to quit Lara?" He asked. Marco came up behind him. "That's not Lara, that's Catherine!" He said quickly. Riccardo turned to face his twin. "What? That is Lara Croft. _Worldwide_ archeologist and _famous_ tomb raider. I bet this is your first real adventure on your own." He sneered at her. She didn't want to admit it, but he was right. She kept her game face on. "Oh, if I'm so novice then how did I manage to get this again? Lookie what I have." She raised the staff up. His eye's widened.

"Guards, Marco, don't let her leave with that. If she gets off this boat, it better be her dead, lifeless corpse wearing cement shoes." He said angrily and stormed off the boat. The guard advanced toward her, but Marco stayed put. She rolled to the side as gunfire erupted and bullets whizzed past her. She dropped the staff and drew her second pistol and stood up, returning some of the hot lead. She managed to kill two of the guards as Marco dove out of sight. Lara stood up, staff in hand, and began sprinting toward the boardwalk where Winston, Zip, and Anaya should still be waiting. A guard jumped down from the balcony with his weapon raised. Lara fell back, firing blindly. A shot rang out and the guard fell to his knees, a stream of crimson coming from his chest. He fell and she saw Marco standing behind him, a smoking 9mm raised. He helped her up. "Lara Croft huh? I like that name better." She smiled.

"Thank you." She said, and pushed past him and ran back down the boardwalk.

"Will I ever see you again?!" He called out.

She stopped and turned.

"Your brother wants the same thing I do. I'm pretty sure we will!" She turned and ran toward the limo. The expensive dress was ruined and her should ached from rolling, but she got the staff back. That's all that mattered.

Lara turned the heat of her huge in-ground pool as far as it could and slipped quietly into her black bathing suit. Her pistols were resting on a chair next to the pool, along with her backpack, incense, and a laptop so she could talk with Zip and Winston who were trying to figure out how to read the map on the staff. She swan dived into the pool, making only a tiny splash. "Careful Lara, I don't want my laptop to get ruined." Came Zip's voice from the chair. "Please Zip, I think you have twenty in just the tech room." He laughed. Lara floated on the water, staring at the giant glass ceiling that was allowing bright sunlight to fill her poolroom. She did several backstrokes, gliding easily through the water. "Well Lara, I can vaguely make out Sicily, Egypt, and Jerusalem, but it's so tiny I'm not sure where the mark is. If we could figure that out we could just find the location on a present day map and boom, we'd have the second Staff." Zip said. Lara dove under the water and came back up.

"Do you need my help?" She asked teasingly. Zip grunted, and she took that as a no. She laughed, and did several more strokes in the warm water. "Lara this map is just so…_wrong_." Zip said, his voice breaking the quiet.

"I'm on my way." Lara sighed. She hopped out of the water grabbing the laptop and pistols. Winston came around the corner with fresh towel, L.C. written in gold embroidery on the front. "Thank you Winston." She said, and he took the laptop from her. She grabbed a robe laid out by Winston and headed over to the tech room. Zip was leaned over a table with the staff in lights wearing a weird pair of glasses that had several protruding lenses. Lara smiled when he looked up. "You really look like such a geek in those." He scowled. She took the staff and looked at the. The map did look odd, like all the continents were bunched together or reversed. She raised it up to the light and squinted her eyes. "Wait a tick…" She said quietly, and picked up a little handheld mirror and looked at the staff that way. "Oh wow. Zip, Winston, your not gonna believe this. The map has been etched _backwards_…" A small sound came from Zip. "Are you sure?" Winston asked.

"I'm sure. Look at Africa. The shape of it is disproportional, like it's bigger on bottom than top. It almost looks like Russia does now. But look in the mirror, you can clearly see Africa."

"So, where is the second staff?" Zip asked impatiently.

"The second staff, my friends, is in Abydos Egypt."

"Egypt, there are no records of the Ark ever being there." Zip said.

"I know but Menelik 1st took each of the staff's and put them at opposite end's of the world after returning it to the place it was built. I suppose from Cambodia to Egypt would feel like the ends of the world." Lara said.

"So, what's at Abydos?" Winston asked.

"I'm not sure. Zip, look that up will you." She asked.

"I'm on it." He said.

"Egypt huh…" Lara whispered, staring at the staff in awe.

"Egypt is a dangerous place Lara. It takes luck and wit's there you know?" Winston cautioned. "I make my own luck Winston." Lara said, smiling.

"Here it is. The only pyramid in that part of Egypt. It is the tomb of Ahmose 1st and his sarcophagus has yet to be found. Here is a really interesting info and background of him.Ahmose I was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Eighteenth dynasty. He was a member of the Theban royal house, the son of King Tao II Seqenenre, and brother of the last King of the Seventeenth dynasty, King Kamose. Sometime during the reign of his father or grandfather, Thebes rebelled against the Hyksos, the rulers of Lower Egypt. When he was seven his father was killed in battle, and when he was about ten his brother died of unknown causes, after reigning only three years. Ahmose assumed the throne after the death of his brother,4 and upon coronation he became known as Neb-pehty.

During his reign he completed the conquest and expulsion of the Hyksos from the delta region and restored Theban rule over the whole of Egypt and successfully reasserted Egyptian power in its formerly subject territories of Nubia and Canaan.5 He then reorganized the administration of the country, reopened quarries, mines, and trade routes, and began massive construction projects of a type that had not been undertaken since the time of the Middle Kingdom. This building program culminated in the construction of the last pyramid built by native Egyptian rulers. Ahmose's reign laid the foundations for the New Kingdom, under which Egyptian power reached its peak. His reign is usually dated to about 1550-1525 BC. The tomb is the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut located in South Abydos. It is said he was buried with all the necessities needed in the afterlife. I guess since ole' Menelik hid the staffs in the tombs of kings and pharaohs our staff is there?" Zip finished.

Lara nodded. "Bingo." She said with a smile. Her burglar alarm suddenly went off. She ran over to her monitors. Dozen's of men in black jumpsuits were surrounding her house. She picked up her pistols. "Boy's, I think someone wants that staff back. Make sure they do not get it." She said, and jogged toward the front entrance of her mansion. The double doors were getting banged on from the other side. She strolled up to the door and hit the speaker button. "Who is it?" She asked sarcastically.

"We're here for the artifact Croft." A rough male voice came from the speaker.

"Come and get it." She said slyly. The glass overhead exploded and ropes fell from the ceiling, followed by Riccardo's henchmen. She raised her pistols and began to shoot them simultaneously at the guards, darting to the left. She hit the wall with her elbow and delivered several more shots at the guards. Some of the fell from the rope and crashed to the wooden floor. Other's pulled up their M16's and open fired at Lara. She dove to a table and kicked it over to act as a shield. Wood chips and bullets began flying, destroying the wall behind. When it stopped for a moment while the guards reloaded Lara popped up and fired some shots and began running for her staircase. Bullets began whizzing past her, and she ducked and rolled, returning the fire. "Zip!! Winston!! How are you guys?! Where is the staff?!" She called out, taking cover by one of the pillars at the top of the staircase. The marble began chipping away as bullets were being fired in her direction. "It's good Lara!" Zip called in reply. She then heard the blast of Zip's custom sawed off shotgun. She dashed to her bedroom over to her gun cabinet and quickly typed in 120790 and it was unlocked. She grabbed several more magazines for her pistols and a MP5 machine gun. She stuck the pistols in the sash of her robe and tightened it and raised the machine gun and fired it toward her bedroom door. Several of the guards back off and she darted to the door. One of them came in again, and she cole cocked him in the jaw and he fell to the floor. Another guy game in and Lara reached around he neck and gave it a sharp jerk to the right. He fell on top of the other soldiers. She ran back out to the balcony and aimed the laser sight on the unaware guards and open fired, scattering the ones she didn't kill. They returned fire, and she ducked, smiling. She stayed hunched down and ran around her balcony to a guard standing. She snapped his neck and unhooked the rope that was attached to the ceiling. She grabbed it and swung down to the first floor, one pistol blazing. She hit the floor in a roll and stood up, dropping the machine gun and pulling the other pistol. It was quiet all of a sudden. She heard the crunch of someone stepping on glass. She did a 180 spin and shot, thankfully missing by half and inch of Zip's head. He jumped down. "Hey woah watch out!! I think they're all gone." He said.

"Did they get the staff?" She asked tensely. Winston came out from the tech room, thankfully holding the staff. "Okay good." She said with a relief sigh. She looked over at Zip, who was still standing motionless. "Sorry about that." He swallowed and gave her a nervous smile. "That's fine."


	3. Chapter 3: Egypt The Second Staff

_**Chapter 3: Egypt- The Second Staff**_

The roar of the helicopter drowned out any attempt for Lara to try to talk with Anaya or Zip. She had her raiding outfit on, the tight tank top with the short brown shorts and her hair braided back into the ponytail. Her pistols hugged the outsides of her thighs. Thankfully she was wearing her favorite pair of sunglasses. They had a reddish tint and had a small frame and were perfectly round. Hopefully they concealed her eyes a lot so Zip wouldn't see her nervous look. At least in Cambodia she had her group with her. This was going to be her first tomb raiding alone. The thought of it excited her also, exploring a virgin tomb deep in Egypt with only her wits, pistols, and a backpack full of ammo, medical supplies, and flares on her side. As they neared the pyramid Lara could see several jeeps and scattered groups around the base of the pyramid. "How did Riccardo know to search here?!" She called out. Zip looked over and shrugged. "He might have picked it up from his men's headsets when he broke into your mansion!" He called back in reply. Lara nodded and looked back toward the pyramid. "Lara! Take this!" Anaya called, handing her a thick robe and a large hat with a veil.   
"That way you blend in!" She said smiling. Lara smiled back and put the Egyptian attire on. The helicopter began to descend behind the pyramid.  
"Now, according to this old schematic of the pyramid made by archeologist David Leif in 1988 there should be an old door near the base okay?!" Zip said, showing her his laptop. "Okay! Thank you Zip!" Anaya dropped her a rope ladder, and she began to descend to the hot white sands below. Finally, when her feet hit the ground the helicopter sped off. Lara gazed at it a moment longer and then turned toward the ancient stone of the pyramid. Many old hieroglyphics were etched around the bottom. She knelt down and tried to make out what they said. Apparently she had to move her hand in a clockwise motion over the picture of Ahmose. "Hey! Who are you?" Someone called out, speaking in Egyptian. Lara turned to face a man dressed in similar cloths and a machine gun raised. "I'm here with Riccardo's team." She said, hoping her Egyptian sounded right. He nodded and started back toward the other side of the pyramid. Lara did as the inscription on the pyramid said so, and the door slowly rose upward on hidden hinges. She stepped inside, and the secret door closed. She took off the Egyptian outfit and took a deep breath. Excitement and adrenaline were pumping feverishly in her veins. She pulled out a flare and began down the ancient hallway. A giant sand spider was attached to a web across the ceiling of the tomb. Lara ducked down to avoid it and felt the web on her knee. She kept walking and heard it snap. "Web's don't snap like that…" She though. The hallway began rumbling and sand started falling from the ceiling. "Oh, this isn't so bad." She thought, and picked up her pace to finish the hallway. Soon however she noticed the hallway was getting narrower. She stopped. "Okay, maybe this is bad." She thought. The walls were slowly, but surly, closing in, along with the ceiling. She tossed her flare ahead and sprinted down the hall. At the end was a sealed door, with no knobs or anything. There was an inscription however; it was almost impossible to read. She picked up the flare, wishing the tinge of panic to leave her body.  
"It happens once in a minute, twice in a week, and once in a year? What is it?" She said out loud. Underneath the riddle were stone buttons to push, one was the Egyptian symbol for the letter e, one was for the Egyptian symbol of a goat, and the last was the symbol of the pharaoh. She re-read the inscription. It didn't make a whole lot of sense. She could now stick her arms out from her body and touch the walls, and if she stretched far enough she could touch the ceiling. She looked at the solutions again. She was thinking to hard. The Egyptians were good for that. Finally, it clicked. There was one e in the word minute, 2 e's in the word week, and one e in the word year. It was simple now that she looked at it again. She hit the stone button for e and the door slowly opened. Too slowly. The place was still caving in. She got down on her stomach and crawled as low as she could. She made it through just as the hall closed in completely. She stood up, laughing off the nervousness. She looked around, her mouth open slightly. It was a _gigantic_ room. It appeared empty aside from 6 mirrors, one in each corner of the room, one in the middle, and one obscured by shadows on the balcony of the second-like floor. Several tendrils and vines snaked around the room. Opposite the giant tomb she heard muted talking and footsteps. She looked around the bare room, and ran over to the vines and pulled herself up on several and climbed them and then used her body to swing herself to the balcony. She pressed herself against the wall as she heard the door below open. "Ah, here it is…" Came the whisper of Riccardo's voice. She saw him walking in, wearing a tight muscle shirt and tattered jeans. Behind him was Marco wearing a ripped white button up shirt with only several buttons done and jeans as well. Behind him came the team of about fifteen of his explorers and henchmen. "Too afraid to come alone…" Lara thought smugly.

"We lost Eric and Ralph." One of the guards said.

"I guess he couldn't read Egyptian as well as he thought he could." Riccardo said with a small laugh. "These traps are more intricate and thought out. I knew _I_ should have lead the first group." He finished. Marco was looking around, touching the mirror's gently.

"No sign of Lara Croft anywhere?" A quiet voice from the group of explorers broke the somewhat peaceful silence. "She's probably still cleaning her house up." Riccardo said, laughing. Marco stood still, reading the hieroglyphics on the ancient mirror. "Did you not get the staff?" He asked while facing away from his brother.

"No, but that wont happen next time cause I'm going in myself." He said in an aggravated tone. Marco smiled and Lara did to when she saw him. "Well, let's get this show on the road. What are we suppose to do Marco?" Riccardo asked, stepping closer to his brother.

"Well, we need to position this mirror so it reflects light to the other four mirror's in this room. But I don't see how we're supposed to do that without any sunlight." Riccardo looked up. Lara did to, and she saw a weak part at the top of the pyramid. Riccardo raised his magnum and fired a shot upward, crumbling the ceiling. Sunlight streamed in from the hole, hitting the mirror in the far-left corner of the room. "Okay, you and you and ummm, you, go position the other mirrors." Riccardo said, using the barrel of his gun as a pointer. Four members of the group went and started shifting the mirrors. Finally the light hit the middle mirror, and it began to lift. A platform raised up to about Riccardo's eye level. On it was a black marble sarcophagus. Riccardo smiled and stepped toward it, vaulting himself up on it. "Marco, you and Kevin help me." He said, and his brother and a stocky looking guard crawled up and helped him lift the top of the casket. Lara watched closely. Something wasn't right. The mirror up here was put there for a reason. They began lifting, and with an odd ease the lid opened. Riccardo's smile left. "This isn't the pharaoh, this is just a mummy." He said sadly. A breeze rustled the air. Everything went quiet-

-until the mummy suddenly came to life and stood up with ease. He grabbed the guard, who screamed and began firing at the mummy. Secret panels on the walls lifted, and mummies poured out. The tomb erupted into gunfire. "It's the curse! It's the curse of Ahmose!" One of the explorers cried out, and ran to the exit. Riccardo and Marco began firing at the mummies. "What are you idiots doing?! Help me!" Riccardo called out, and his guards were taken out of their trance and opened fired as well. Lara walked over to the sixth mirror and moved it so it caught the light reflection of the middle mirror. The platform rose up even more and all the mummies stopped and bowed down as another clearly older sarcophagus rose up. Everything was quiet and all eyes turned to Lara's direction. "YOU!!" Riccardo called out. Lara smiled. "Having fun killing the undead?" She asked sarcastically. Marco laughed. "Shut up you idiot." Riccardo barked.

The casket below slowly opened, revealing the mummy of Ahmose clutching the dazzling second Staff of the Ark. Riccardo jumped down and picked it up. "But look who got it first." He whispered. " Lara frowned and reached out and grabbed a vine and propelled herself forward. She swung down with one hand and in one swift movement she snatched the staff right out of Riccardo's hand and landed on the other side of the balcony. "Kill her!!" Riccardo screamed, and gunfire erupted throughout the tomb again. She smiled, drawing a pistol. "Guards! Get up there now!" He yelled, and began firing his own magnum. She stood up a moment, firing at the guards. She came to a door and pulled the switch beside it. The platform in the middle of the room lowered. She kicked the switch, and then pulled the other one on the other side of the door. This time the door opened, and she was momentarily blinded with light. She ran outside and lost her footing. She angled her legs and began sliding unsteadily down the pyramid. She stuck her arms out as she cascaded down the side of the pyramid. Finally she hit the bottom where men were digging. They all looked up at her.

"Huh? Who's that?

"It's her!"

What should we do?

"Where is Riccardo?"

The men burst into timid whispers. She smiled and ran up to one of the jeeps. "Lara wait!" She heard Riccardo's voice. She turned, pistol raised. It was Marco however. "That's my jeep." He said, pulling out the keys.

"Thanks." Said Lara, who hopped into the jeep and started it.

"Wait…I…" Marco was hesitant.

"There she is!" Came Riccardo's voice, and again bullets started flying in her direction.

"I don't really have that much time." Lara said quickly.

"I want to go with you. Please, let me…" He said. She stalled for a moment, then patted the passenger seat. He smiled and she drove off, hearing dark screams and curses from Riccardo. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Honestly, I don't know. I just can't stand my brother. He plan's on trying to overthrow the government and then become the world's new ruler when he finds the Ark of the Covenant." Lara sighed. "If I had a nickel for every time someone wanted world domination…"

"What about you? Why are you looking for the Ark?" He asked.

"Oh you know, play the good guy, save the world, stop the villain. Typical cliché Hollywood movie huh?" He laughed, then stopped and stared at her.

"What?" She asked, pushing her sunglasses up to her eyes and keeping them forward.

"You really are beautiful." He said. There was a moment of silence.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." He said sheepishly.

"What am I supposed to say?" She asked.

"How about you let me take you out to dinner? My treat." She looked at him a moment. "If you insist." She said with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4: London Taking a Break

_**Chapter 4: London- Taking a Break**_

Lara and Marco walked down the gently lit streets of London England, looking for a nice, quiet place to sit and eat. "How about over there?" asked Marco. Lara looked in the direction of his finger. "Way to classy. How about there?" She asked, pointing a little further down the street to a nice Italian and Seafood restaurant. He nodded and they walked on inside. They stood a moment in the entranceway. It was an elegant little place, softly lit with floor lamps. "How many do we have tonight?" A pretty young waitress came up. 

"Two please." Marco said. Lara had opted to wear a simple black dress and scarf like accessory that draped around her shoulders. He was wearing a white button-up shirt and slacks. The young woman walked them to a booth and handed them menus. "I'll be back in one moment. ." She said softly. Lara sat opposite of Marco even though he clearly wanted her to take the seat beside him. She picked up the menu and eyed it. "Hummm, there isn't any beans on toast." Lara murmured.  
"Excuse me?" asked Marco over his own menu. Lara laughed.  
"Oh nothing, I'll just take the shrimp and pasta alfredo with chicken." She said blandly.  
"I'll just get the steak dinner." He said smiling. There was an awkward pause as the waitress came, took the orders, and left them two glasses of ice water. "So, what's your story?" asked Marco.  
"What do you mean?" she asked, taking a sip of her water.  
"Why do you do what you do? What is it that excites you about it?" She smiled.   
"You want the long version or the short version?"  
"The long."  
"We'd be here all night."  
"I don't care." He finished, his smile never leaving.  
"Well, I was born in a rich family, the high class of British society and aristocrats. When I was nine I was coming back from a skiing trip in Nepal with my mother. The plane crashed in the Himalayas and everyone died except for mother and me. A few days later we find a tomb where she disappears and I take 10 days to find civilization. I guess that is what really started it. I really felt alive out there. For six years I'm practically attached to my father's hip since we had never had the best relationship since he was the explorer and I was the little rich girl. When I turn fifteen he goes missing in Cambodia, his body has still yet to be found. And since then I have always been intrigued by things ancient and mythological." She took a breath and another sip of water.  
"Wow…" Marco sighed. The waitress came with the food, and they ate in a better state of comfort, talking and laughing. "So, where do you live?" He asked.  
"You know the Abbington Estates?"  
His eyes widened. "So you're the one who lives in that place. It's awfully big for one person." He said. She smiled. "Well I have Winston and Zip there, but they are out looking up info on the second staff." A boyish grin crept over his face.  
"You wanna show me around?" He asked. She laughed.  
"I'd be delighted."

"This place is beautiful." He said in awe.  
"The pool is this way." She said. He followed her across the big lobby to the hallway leading to her pool. She was already in one of the changing closest when he caught up. She threw her cloths over the door, and slowly slipped on her two piece bathing suit. Marco watched her shadow, begging the small sense of arousal to stop going south. He quickly walked over to the other changing room. As he began to undress he heard her light footsteps then the splash of water. She came up out of the water, throwing her long strands of chocolate colored hair back. "You want the heat on?" She asked.  
"Sure!" He called from the changing room.  
"What's taking so long?" She asked as she reached over and switched the heat on. He clearly caught on to her perverted ness. "What do you think?" He asked. She laughed.   
"Nothing." She said softly, and then dove back under the water. She came up again, pushing her hair out of her eyes. As she did Marco stepped out wearing only his swimming trunks. She couldn't help but stare at the contours of his abdomen, which was smooth and chiseled. His shoulders were big and strong, and his legs were defined and smooth. His emerald eyes were glowing, and his black hair was radiant. She was also surprised when the thought of the bulge underneath his trunks came into her head. She pushed them away and dove back under the water before he caught on that she was staring. He jumped in and came up just as she did. They were inches away. "So what do you do for fun?" He asked. She became a little nervous from the closeness, and began backstroking. "The usual, swimming, hiking, horseback riding, shooting, raiding tombs." He laughed.  
"I said for fun, not your everyday life." He said.  
"I write travel books." She said after a few moments. There was a moment's pause.  
"Travel books?" Marco said, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. Lara looked at him. "What?" She said in defense. He just shook his head. She reared back and sent a small tidal wave of water at him. He laughed and ducked, then returned the splash. She laughed and dove under the water and came up between his legs, vaulting him a little ways into the air. He gave a gasp of surprised and landed back in the water on his stomach. The water cracked as he landed on his stomach. He came up, clutching his abdomen. Lara laughed at the expression on his face. "You don't look that strong." He said laughing. "Maybe you shouldn't judge someone before you get to know them." She said, winking at him. He then dove under the water, and she watched him closely. He came up underneath her legs and with ease lifted her up, but kept her on his shoulders. "What in the world…?" She asked. He kept walking. Lara burst into giggles, and started trying to dig her heels into his chest. He then took a deep breath and went under the water. Lara came up first against the side of the pool. Marco popped up right in front of her. She held her breath as he placed both of his large hands on both sides of the pool next to both of her shoulders and easily cleared the little space between them. She let her breath out quickly as he put his face closer to hers, and then sucked it back in quickly when his hands rested on her shoulders. "I don't know-" She started.  
"Shhh…" He said quietly. He closed his eyes and lightly touched her lips with his. As he pulled away Lara reached around his head and grasped his hair in a gentle yet firm fashion and pulled him closer, giving him a deeper kiss. He pressed his strong chest against her body, and she let his tongue explore her mouth. He ran his other hand down her back as she cradles both sides of his jaw and ears with her hands. She pulled away, breathing heavily. "I haven't been with a man in a long time." She said shakily.  
"It's alright. It's like riding a bike, you never forget." She laughed.   
"What if I've never ridden a bike?" She asked. He smiled.   
"I'll teach you." With that they kissed again, this time Lara's hand moved to his hips, and then his inner thigh. He moaned, and cradled his groin against her thigh. She moved her hand upward successfully reaching his inner thigh. She could feel his bulge growing against her leg, which she noticed, was quite large. "Lara, are you in here?" Came Winston's voice from the entrance of the poolroom. "Yeah I'm in here." She called, pushing Marco under the water. "I'll be out in a minute. Find any good news with Zip?" Winston nodded with a smile, then left the poolroom. Marco came up coughing. "What was that about?" He asked with a grin. "Oh nothing, just Winston."  
"Your butler?" He asked.   
"Yeah…" she said, then looked down at his crotch again.   
"You like what you see?" He asked in his Italian accent, his voice husky. Lara realized she liked Italian accents now.  
"Yeah but…" She stalled.  
"What is it?" He asked. "Do you have a scar on your thigh?" She asked, staring into his emerald eyes, which oddly enough had a violet tint to it. "I kind of figured you'd find that." He said, looking down at her. She climbed out of the pool and wrapped her head up in a towel, then took another and wrapped it around her body. He followed and they both sat down on her wicker chairs where a bottle of sparkling water was set with two glasses. "You see, I haven't been nearly successful as Riccardo. He has been in modeling, runs his own business, finds priceless artifacts-"  
"And steals them…" Lara broke in.

"Yeah, and steals them. Well, on our 21st birthday I found my mother's very expensive sapphire wedding ring. She had lost it only a few days after our mom and dad got married. She was devastated and went to the bank to get the money to buy a new one when her and my father were both gunned down by the British robbers." Lara cringed a bit.

"I guess you figured that's another reason Riccardo doesn't like you to well. Your already looking for what he is, and you have both staff's and your British."

"Not the best combination for him then is it?" She asked softly.

"Well, I told him I wanted to keep the ring, and he could keep father's gold pocket watch. While I was asleep he tried to stab me. Thankfully he didn't cut any higher." He finished nervously. "Wow, Riccardo is a lunatic isn't he? Tried to kill you over a ring?" Lara asked.

"Well, to be twins we are very different." He said, staring at his feet. Lara smiled.

"I see that. What stopped you from being a money hungry explorer like your brother?" Marco looked up. "Because I…I saw how much Riccardo hated life, and how every time the money would get low or something wouldn't go his way he would go into fits of rage, basically hating the world. He hasn't had a steady girlfriend since his modeling days, he doesn't sleep well, and when he explores it's never to see the sights or enjoy the surrounding's, its just to find whatever he can sell on the black market" Marco finished, taking a swig of his water.

"Or use for his own sick games, in this case it's the Ark." Lara said softly. He nodded.

"Well, lets go see what Zip and Winston have to show us." Lara said, standing up. Lara was halfway across the room when Marco stopped her. "To be so inexperienced you kiss awfully well." He said. She winked at him.

"Maybe you can help me practice since practice makes perfect." She turned and continued her stroll to the tech room. "Lara! Just the person I wanted to see." Zip said looking up from the staff. "What is it?" She asked as Marco came up behind her, still topless but he had his slacks back on. "Look at this, the gold on the end of this staff is fake. See how easy it chips away?" Zip asked, scratching the gold on the end of the staff. He raised his finger and she saw gold speckles on it. Lara looked at the staff. "It would take forever to get all the gold off without possibly ruining the map underneath." Zip said, sighing. Lara looked over at him, cocking an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?" Zip asked nervously.

"Nothing Zip." She said, and walked over to her darkroom.

"Lara…be careful with that." Zip cautioned.

"C'mon now, I have a velveteen touch." She said with a smile as she opened the door and stepped inside to the chemical tray. "Wait…are you going to-"

Before Zip could finish she dipped the end of the staff into the chemicals. There was an odd sizzling sound and a discolored steam came from the tray. "LARA!!" Zip screamed from the tech room, and jumped up and sprinted to the lab. She pulled the staff out still steaming but seemingly intact. "That was just an old form of brass to cover the actual gold. This chemical couldn't possibly harm the actual gold." She said with a smile. Zip wiped the beads of perspiration from his forehead and took the staff from her. "You shouldn't scare me like that!" He said shakily.

"Like I would harm such an artifact Zip…" She said sarcastically. Zip ignored her and walked over to his table filled with magnifying glasses. "I uh, I can't read this map Lara." She walked over to the table. "What do you mean?" She asked, kneeling over the table.

"Well, its just a blank map. It's so hard to describe anything on it." Zip said. Lara looked, hoping to prove him wrong. He was right, the map was unreadable. "Wait, I've seen that." Marco chimed in. Winston, Lara, and Zip all turned to stare at him. He was standing with water still dripping from his hair; his arms crossed making his pec's bulge a little. "It's a giant mural on the wall at the library." He said. Lara smiled and started toward her bedroom door. "Where are you going?" Zip asked.

"Marco and I are taking a little trip to the library" She said without turning.

The black Ducati motorcycle pulled up to the subway station, with Lara wearing a tight biker outfit and Marco in a biker outfit. She had let him borrow a Beretta handgun and she had her pistols strapped to her hips. They both walked down the stairs to the crowded subway station. She studied the map for a moment. "Okay, we just take the Number 9 all they way to the library." She said turning toward him.

"Great!" He said as a subway train came to a screeching halt. Rows and rows of people filed off, and the two followed a group of people onto the train. They found a seat quickly. "All aboard, to the bank of London and library!" The conductor yelled. After a few minutes the train started and before long was speeding down the dark tunnel. "I hope we make it before the library closes." Lara whispered. Marco nodded in agreement. Lara's head snapped up when she heard a gunshot and several screams from the adjacent car. She stood up drawing her weapons, followed by Marco who did the same. She pushed her way to the back of the car and peered through the window. Several men in suits and Riccardo had everybody cowering in fear, guns raised. "What is it? What's going on?" Marco breathed into her ear. "Your brother…" She said slowly. People started to crowd behind Lara. She turned. "Okay people just sit down and remain, well try and remain calm." She said. The majority of the people sat down, and Lara turned back to the door. "Your ready for this?" She asked. "What?" Marco asked.

"Okay now!" She yelled, and kicked the door open, aiming her pistols at the guards and Riccardo. "Drop your weapons right now!" She barked at them. Marco stood up besides her, pulling out his gun as well. "Ah Marco, I was told you were killed in Egypt. I guess they were wrong. How sad you decided to go with this winch." Riccardo said, his eyes narrowing. Marco's grip on the Beretta tightened. "Your so pathetic, taking innocent people hostage for your own sick pleasure." He said, aiming his gun at his brother. Riccardo laughed.

"And what do you plan to do? How exactly did you end up on the same train as we did? I guess you know about the map at the library?" Lara's eyes widened.

"How do _you_ know that?" She asked. Again he laughed, this time accompanied by his henchmen. "You stupid Brits, you all think your so much better. But look, an Italian has outsmarted you." Said Riccardo.

"What all can you tell me?" He asked her.

"What I know is my business." She said coldly.

"Miss Croft please don't upset me. I have six men here and even more on their way to the library. You have yourself and my pathetic brother."

"What can a woman do?" One of his guards asked.

"Exactly." Riccardo finished, giving her a snobby smiled.

"I'll show you." Lara said through clenched teeth, and fired several shots toward the guards. Screams erupted throughout the subway train. "Guards, get our bikes up here and crash this train!" Riccardo barked at his men. Several guards and Riccardo started toward the front of the train. "Marco, stay here and make sure no one gets harmed, I'm stopping the train from crashing." Lara said.

"No way, it's way to risky." He said. She lightly touched his face.

"Trust me on this." She said, and looked around the car. There was an emergency door on the ceiling of the car. She climbed up the tiny ladder and opened it. A funnel of wind rushed in, and she pulled herself up. Single lights went y at cosmic speeds. She gripped the top of the train to keep from plummeting off the train. She slowly moved forward, the front of the train coming into view. The door on the top of the train opened and a guard popped out firing his machine gun. Lara hugged the train, and when he was done firing she lifted up and shot several shots his way. She was rewarded with a painful scream. She continued forward and pushed the door closed, knocking the man underneath out. She heard the sound of motorcycles coming up beside the train. She risked a glance over and saw several men on black Ducati's pull up. She turned her attention forward and pulled open the door to the conductors cab. She jumped down and saw Riccardo smiling at her, then he swung himself out of the train. She ran over and saw him speed off ahead on a bike. "That son of a bitch." Lara muttered. The conductor was dead and the emergency brake lever was broken. A timer was beside it with only 1 minute and counting. She looked at the many controls in front and pushed several buttons. Nothing worked. There was a big red button that was stuck. She pulled a pistol out and hit the button with the end of her gun. It came unstuck, and she pushed it several times. The train began to slow, and there was 45 seconds left. She jogged over and shot a man on the bike; her and Marco's ticket off the train. She ran back through the cabs. Marco was standing over one of the henchmen, his face wet and sweaty. "Marco, get these people to the back of the train and tell them to get back to the station NOW. You and me have a bike waiting to take us to the library. He nodded and shoved all the passengers' back as the train slowed to a stop and rendered the guard on the ground unconscious. They both ran back to the front of the train. The bomb's timer was at 23. They jumped off and picked up the Black Ducati, Lara driving and Marco on the back and she zoomed off out of the tunnel just as the train exploded in a rush of heat and deafening boom. "You were pretty good back there!" She said.

"Not as good as you!" She laughed, and they continued on to the library.

She walked calmly to the double doors and knocked. A snobby looking middle aged woman came up to the door and pointed at the closed sign, a scowl on her face. "This is important!" Lara yelled, pressing her mouth against the glass. The woman stood for a moment, then unlocked the doors. "Make it quick." She said.

"Thanks." Marco replied and he followed Lara into the gigantic library.

"Okay, where is it?" She asked, looking around. Marco paused, looking around.

"I don't remember it being here. It's more toward the back." He said. Lara sighed with a smile and followed him to the back of the library. "Right there." He pointed up high on the wall. Sure enough, an old map was pinned to the wall with the exact markings as the ones on the staff. She pulled out a camera and snapped a photo of it. "There!" She said smiling. They walked back toward the door leading to the front of the library but stopped as the voices of several men, Riccardo, and the frightened librarian came from the lobby.

"Where are they? I saw them come in here." came Riccardo's harsh voice.

"I told you I wasn't watching when they came in. I don't know where they went." Said the librarian.

_She's covering for us…_ Thought Lara.

"Okay, Rick you check the bathrooms. John, you Steve and Sebastian check back there. I'll look upstairs." Riccardo ordered. Lara looked over at Marco, who had his gun drawn. "Marco, go hide behind that shelf. I have an idea." Lara hissed at him. He nodded and Lara placed her hands on her hips and put a sexy smile on her face. The three men came in with their guns raised. They turned to Lara. She placed a finger to her lips. "Shhh, I have a small surprise for you and your friends." She said, she unzipped a little to expose her cleavage. One of the men turned to the other. "I think I've gone to Heaven." He said excitedly.

"Not yet." Lara said with a smile, and drew her pistols and popped all three guards in the head. "What was that?" Came a voice from the lobby. Marco came out from the shelf.

"Good job." He said, staring at her chest. She looked down, and zipped it up quickly. He laughed. "You ready to rock?" He asked, raising his gun.

"Rock _and_ roll." Lara said, drawing her pistols again. The duo ran out into the lobby, guns blazing. "Hey, its her!" One of the guards called out. Lara took cover behind the reception desk while Marco dove behind a shelf. Lara shot several more guards that came from the bathroom while Marco got the ones coming down the stairs. She felt strong hands grasp her and pull her close, making her drop her pistols. She saw Marco's eyes widen and he aimed his gun at the person behind her. "Let her go Riccardo." He said sternly.

"Oh, this bitch your girlfriend now?" said Riccardo, who sounded muffled. Lara struggled, successfully landing her elbow into his side. He took the end of his gun and pounded it into her back. She fell to the ground, coughing. "Lara!" Marco said, stepping forward.

"Hold it right there _brother_." Said Riccardo, laughing.

"You're not my brother anymore." Marco said through clenched teeth.

"Oh by blood we will always be brothers. I don't really care what you think of me." Riccardo said in a sneer. "Now, Miss Croft, what is the deal with that map in there? Is it the location of the Ark?" She managed a laugh.

"Why do you care?" She asked. He looked at her a moment, then kicked her in the ribs.

"Answer my question! It's the location to the Ark isn't it?" Lara looked up at him. He was wearing a gas mask. She managed a weak nod. "Make sure these two don't leave." Riccardo said pointing to one of his guards. He walked into the room with the map. "Very interesting. I would never have guessed the Ark to be made there. But it makes sense." They heard him mumble. He walked back into the lobby. "So, it's in Ethiopia huh? Underneath Mount Moriah huh? I thought the Temple Mount was only a legend, the resting place of the first king of Ethiopia and destroyed in 587 BC?" He said slowly. Lara stared at him.

_Ethiopia huh…?_ She thought.

"I guess you don't need the staff's anymore huh?" Lara asked. He laughed.

"Nope." He had a big grin, looking from Marco to Lara.

"Gas 'em." He said quickly. She heard the sound of something hitting the tile floor, and a sick green colored gas quickly filled the air, burning her eyes and lungs. "Tear gas!" Marco yelled. Riccardo came up and uppercutted Marco in the stomach, and he fell to the ground. Lara's world began spinning and finally went black.


	5. Chapter 5: Ehthiopa Ark of the Covenant

**_Chapter 5: Ethiopia- The Ark of the Covenant_**

"Lara!"   
"Lara!"  
"Lara!"   
She snapped awake to Marco's voice. Lara lifted her head up slowly. She was in a tiny barred cell, with the bars to close together to fit through. Marco was wearing a very lose khaki button up shirt with only the last couple of buttons done and khaki shorts. "Your raiding outfit is hanging up in your cell." He said, pointing behind Lara. She turned and saw her tight tank top, short brown short, backpack and belt with the holsters hung on the wall. Her pistols weren't in them however. She sighed and took the outfit off the wall. She started unzipping her outfit, but stopped. "I didn't wear anything underneath, remember?" She said, staring at him. "You want me to turn around." He jokingly. She glared at him, then turned her back and finished unzipping her outfit. She heard a soft moan come from Riccardo. "I take it your still looking?" She said teasingly. She slipped on the shorts and tank top, then attached the belt and holsters and put her backpack on. She turned and saw Marco wiping beads of perspiration from his forehead. "What's wrong?" She asked, smiling.  
"Nothing, nothing at all." He said. She looked around.  
"Okay, we need to find a way outta these cells…where are we anyway?"  
"I think we're on Riccardo's yatch." Said Marco. She nodded.  
"Okay, now how to we got out get out of these cells?" She whispered. There was silence as the two looked around. The two separate cells were two far for Lara to unlock his and vice versa. There was an emergency switch on the wall incase something was happening and the key couldn't be found, but it was to far away. Or was it…? "Marco, look for something long and hard." He looked down between his legs.  
"Not that! We need to push that button over there and get the doors to our cells open." She said quickly. He looked around. "I don't see anything Lara." She sighed.  
"There must be something."   
"Wait, what about that?" He asked, looking toward the section of wall that was in-between the cells. A box that probably had their weapons in it was against the wall, along with a poll about seven and a half feet long. Lara smiled. "Good job." Thy both reached out simultaneously and both of them couldn't reach it. "Son of a bitch." Marco whispered, crossing his arms like a child. Overhead they heard footsteps and muffled talking and the boat lurched a little. It was stopping. "Okay, we really need to get out of here." She said. She kicked the wall several times, making it shake a little. The pole slipped to the left a little, then a little more. She stopped and looked over at Marco. "A little help?" She asked.   
"Oh right." He said, and began kicking the wall as well. Finally the pole fell  
into Lara's cell. She smiled with satisfaction and picked it up and walked over to the other side of her cell and evened the pole out and thrust it forward, pressing the button on the wall. There was the sound of rushing wind and both of the doors opened. She hurried out of the cell and over to the box and opened it. Sure enough inside were her two pistols, ammunition, Marco's Beretta and his ammunition. "Not the smartest idea on my brother's part." Marco said, putting the magazine back into the gun. Lara held her pistols in each hand, feeling the cold smoothness of the gun and the heaviness of its power. She smiled, then holstered them and stuck the extra clips into the little holder on her belt. "Alright, let's get outta here." She said. Marco started up the ladder, followed closely by Lara. "Now don't be looking at my ass." He said laughing. Lara smiled and stopped to give it a squeeze with her hand.  
_He does have a nice ass…_ She thought. Marco giggled.  
"You shouldn't be making me laugh, it'll get us caught." He said quietly.  
"Right, right." She said. He lifted the hatched door slowly and looked around.   
"Coast is clear." He whispered. He climbed out and then helped her up. She drew her pistols and aimed them down the hall, keeping her eyes sharp. It looked clear. There were rows of circular windows lining the hallway. She looked outside and saw a huge mountain. Were they already at Ethiopia already? It looked like Mount Moriah, but she couldn't tell for sure. Lara started walking down the hallway, holstering her pistols. As she neared the corner a guard came around the corner smiling. He stopped and stared at Lara a moment, his smile leaving. She smiled at him and then gave him a swift kick to the groin. He fell to his knees, moaning and she kneed him in the face. He fell backward and she stepped on his throat, crushing his windpipe. She turned to face Marco, who was staring with his mouth open. "Where did you learn to do that?" He asked. She shrugged. "Put him down in the cell room." She said. Marco did as she asked, and she jogged down the next corridor, coming to a set of stairs going up. She went up them slowly. Marco came up behind her. "That leads out to the deck. He whispered. Lara paused a moment as she heard something fall into the water followed by the sound of a motorboat. Lara looked at him, puzzled. He shrugged. She drew a pistol and opened the door leading to the deck. No one was around. In the distance in a white motorboat was Riccardo and his crew driving toward the mountain, which Lara could tell now was in fact Mount Moriah. "Does Riccardo keep any more boats on this thing?" She asked.  
"Um, yeah, over on the port side." She nodded and headed over to the other far side of the boat. Sure enough, there were several more white motorboats hanging over the water. She unhooked one and lowered it into the water. They climbed down into the boat and started it up and headed toward Mount Moriah as well. There was a GPS near the speedometer of the boat. Apparently they were in the Gulf of Aden. "So, this Temple Mount, supposedly underneath Mount Moriah, is a real place and not some myth? If that's true and the Ark is really down there, how are we going to get it? We don't have the staffs with us." Marco said. Lara looked over. His eyes were filled with concern and his short black hair was swishing every way in the fast current of wind. "I'm not to sure myself. I just know we have to get to it before your brother does, or he will unleash something more powerful than you could ever imagine." She said, staring ahead. Her hair was blowing furiously as well. "I really like your accent. For you to be the rugged tomb raider you are the high classy British accent is just…unique." Marco said. She smiled at him. "Here, take the wheel." She said. She fished into her pockets and found a couple of rubber bands. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, then braided it and put another rubber band on the end to make sure it wouldn't come undone, making a little "tail" on the end. She sat down on the chair, staring at the mountain slowly closing in. She could see the glint of the gold dome that stands near the mountain. "Have you ever rocked climbed before?" She asked after a few moments.  
"Here and there, why?" He asked.   
"Because to get into the mountain and into the Temple Mount we have to climb it." She said. He looked over at her, giving her a wary glance. "There isn't any other way?" He asked. She shook her head. "Nope, unless you want to swim a few hundred feet under the Gulf of Aden." He shook his head.  
"I'll pass." Lara laughed.

"I figured, I've done some deep diving but that would be impossible." She said. There were another few minutes of silence. "So what's this place like anyway?" Asked Marco. Lara sighed. "Oh where to begin… Well, it's a religious area, located pretty close to the Old City of Jerusalem. The actual Temple Mount underneath Mount Moriah was supposedly destroyed in 587 BC. The Temple and been rebuilt several times, always being destroyed by the Israelites and things like that. It's the holiest site in Judaism. I guess that's why God told Moses to built the Ark here. It makes sense now that I have all of the information that I need. Because of political sensitivity not too much archeology has been done around the mountain. I guess that's why the Temple Mount has never been found. There are some residential remains on the mountain, all of them destroyed and only several walls and adobe houses remain. There are many cisterns underneath the ground, but not far enough to the Temple Mount. There is an underground cave somewhere on Mount Moriah where the Well of Souls is. It is a large water cavern and it is one of the few ways to actually reach the Temple Mount. The Crusaders hacked an opening on the south side of the mountain, and that's probably how your brother is going to get in." She stopped and took a deep breath.

"Well, this site is pretty important then huh?" He said softly.

"Not really, not until all this happened." She said. Marco slowed the boat down as he neared the jagged rocked. "Alright, now or never." Lara whispered. He stopped the boat and began looking around. "If we can find a harness we might be able to-" He stopped as he looked over at Lara, who was already starting to climb the mountain. "Oh c'mon, it wont be that hard. I've climbed mountains ten times higher than this before." He groaned.

"You're the tomb raider." He said. She laughed.

"You're going to kill me if you make me laugh." She said with false seriousness. Marco got his footing and started his climb. "Now _you _don't be looking at _my_ ass." Lara said, a few feet higher than he was. "Well, your to far away for me to grab your ass." He said, grunting as he pulled himself up and found another handhold. Lara maneuvered sideways. "Careful, the rock there is weak." She said. He continued to pull himself up.

"What?" He asked. He grabbed on to a weak handhold and it broke away. She reached down and grabbed his arm, pulling him back against the rock. "It's weak there." She repeated. He sighed and pulled himself up again. "Oh…" They heard a helicopter overhead. She pulled herself up into an alcove, helping Marco up as well. She drew her pistols and Marco drew the Beretta and aimed it forward. The helicopter swooped down, getting level with the alcove. Several men with raised guns were in it. Lara fired at the blade of the helicopter while Marco fired at the people. Two men in jumpsuits came down on ropes right in from of them from the top of the mountain. Marco side kicked, knocking the wind out of the first one and Lara punched the second in the stomach. They swung back, and they pushed them this time, swinging them out to the helicopter. The first guy on the rappel rope hit the blades and the helicopter started smoking. It tried flying away, pulling huge pieces of rock from the top of the mountain. The cord brought the helicopter back, which was a flaming ball now. Lara and Marco pressed themselves against the rock of the mountain. The rock suddenly receded and did a 180 turn just as the helicopter smashed into the mountain, causing a giant jolt in the mountain. Lara felt herself falling for only a moment, and finally splashed into water. She swam back upward, breaking through the chilly water. She looked around. She was in a narrow cavern, with the only place to go but down under the water. "Marco?" She called out. Her voice echoed against the hard rock. She reached into her backpack and pulled out a flare, which thankfully was waterproof. The reddish light illuminated the rock, and she took several deep breaths and dove back under the water. Her vision was slightly blurry as she tried and maneuvered the underwater cavern. She came to a split and took the left, which was a dead end. She turned and went right, her lungs burning for oxygen. She came up to another place to get a breath but no where to go. She dove back under and continued on until she could swim up pretty far. When she popped up she was at the brim of a rock well. She wiped her eyes and tossed the flare out the got out herself. The room was of moderate size, but no doors or anything signaled a way out. Lara studied the well a moment. Was this the sacred Well of Souls? She picked her flare back up and looked around. On this outside was a stone sticking out further than the rest. She pushed it back in and heard a door opening. She ran over to it, and it slammed shut. The floor began to slowly split in half and the walls on her left and right slid open to reveal old wooden spike. She began running forward, trying to keep her balance. Finally she reached the end and another door slammed close, blocking off the way back.

"_No where to go but forward now…"_ She thought. The floor in here was made of pressure pads. The one she was standing on went down slowly. She took a step forward, and the square panel broke away. Below was an abyss of darkness. She dropped her flare, but it quickly disappeared. She stepped back and tried stepping to the left. The panel moved down.

"_Okay…I can do this…"_ She thought. She stepped to the left again, and the panel behind her broke away and the one she was on started crumbling. She quickly stepped forward and it broke away. She reached forward as her body fell and grabbed one to the right. It slid downward a bit, but held. She pulled herself up. At the end of the room was a ladder going up and the left and right walls were spiked traps. The panel she had saved herself with apparently set the wall traps, and they began slowly, painstakingly slowly moving inward. She stepped to the right, and the panel broke away so she stepped back. This panel started crumbling, and she stepped to the one adjacent to this one. It held but it put her closer to the wall. She took a leap of faith and landed a few panels in front of the one she leapt from. It held, but the walls began moving faster. She stepped back and jumped with her arms outstretched and grabbed the ladder. One hand slipped, and for a moment she was hanging on with only four fingers. She managed to regain her grasp and she started quickly up the ladder. Her foot suddenly snapped the bottom handhold. She felt a tinge of panic.

"_Great now the ladder is going to break…"_ She thought grimly. She moved a bit faster and finally pulled herself up. In here was a stone room full of holes and a door in the middle of a giant mirror. She kicked a few pebbles and spikes came up from the holes.

"_Great…"_

They took a few seconds to recede, and she got an idea. She waited and then kicked another stone down the darted across the floor, avoiding the spikes. When she reached the door she pulled on it, but it was locked. _"I should have figured, it only opens when the spikes are back in place…"_ She thought. As soon as they were back in she opened the door-

-and heard the metal clang as they came back up inches from her body. She sighed and closed the door and turned around. Ahead was a large gate made of gold. "Oh my…" She said softly. This area was the place that the Holy of Holies were placed. She walked up to the gate and touched it gingerly. "It really isn't a myth…" She mumbled. There were two slots on each door of the gate. Lara reached her hands inside, and heard mechanical gears shifting and moving. As soon as they were done Lara pulled her hand out and the door's opened. She drew her pistols and aimed them forward when they opened. Someone was standing with their back to her. "Hey." She said. He turned. It was Marco, or was it Riccardo? "Lara!" He cried.

"Marco?" She said hesitantly.

"Polo!" He cried. She smiled.

"I thought you were Riccardo." He laughed.

"You don't know the difference now?" He said smiling. She hit him on the arm playfully.

"Isn't this place magnificent?" She asked. He nodded and looked around.

"Yeah it is, but where is the Ark?" He asked.

"Yeah, we need to get it before Riccardo does." She said. They continued forward.

"I came from the left path there." He said, pointing. "Let's try this way." Said Lara, drawing her pistols. "Where is your gun?" She asked as they moved forward slowly.

"I lost it trying to avoid one of those damned traps." He said, keeping close to her. They came to a clearing, and were high up on a secluded alcove. She looked down. Several guards were walking around. She saw tied and gagged against the wall were Zip and Winston. "Those bloody bastards! They must have the staffs then." Lara whispered. At the far end of the huge cavern was a gigantic golden statue. At its feet was a golden pedestal, and resting on it was a beautiful wooden and golden box. It was The Ark of the Covenant. On the Mercy Seat were two statues with their hands raised and fingers locked- Lucifer and Jesus Christ. It looked like a miniature treasure chest. "Where is Riccardo?" a guard asked.

"I don't know. He said he was going to go look for that Croft woman." The second guard said. Lara froze as low maniacal laughter erupted from behind her. She turned. "But I…" She stopped as he reached down and lifted his shorts to his inner thigh. There was no scar. She tried to run past him, but he caught her. "No! Let me go!" She screamed. He locked her arms behind her back and grabbed around her neck with the other. "Calm down now, don't be so feisty Miss Croft." Riccardo said, giggling. "You lying son of a bitch! Where's Marco? What did you do to Zip and Winston?!" She screamed. He tightened his grip.

"Shut up" She walked her over to the edge, which was actually an elevator.

Zip's eyes lit up as he saw Lara. He tried to say something but the gag prevented him. Gold trinkets including coins, goblets, statuettes, jewelry, and several different miscellaneous items covered the rock floor of the cavern. A white light glowed from the Ark, which sat proudly on the golden pedestal. "You see Lara, we have a problem. That little moat or whatever going around the statue isn't water." He threw a coin into the liquid, and it sizzled into a golden mush. "We've already lost three men who tried to jump it. Seeing as how you're a woman and more diligent and flexible, I decided you should give it a try. We've already tossed the staffs over there." He finished. He dug the barrel of his machine gun into her back. "Now, Miss Croft." He said. She looked at the Ark again. It really was beautiful. She took a deep breath and stood at the end of the ledge where the acidic water was. She took several steps back and took a giant leap forward. She caught the edge of the rock. Her boots started smoking and sizzling. Riccardo laughed. "Now grab that ladder and lay it across the gap." He said.

"No." Lara replied calmly. He rose his gun and shot inches from her head.

"I can kill you now and send over as many men as it takes to get that fucking box. Now lay a ladder across the gap and it spares your life." He said deeply. She sighed and grabbed the sturdy wooden ladder and laid it haphazardly across the gap. "There, it's all yours." She said. She came across the ladder. Riccardo shoved her out of the way and hurried across to the pedestal. Lara walked over and undid the gag's on Zip and Winston. "Does he know you need the staffs to touch it?" Zip asked quietly.

"I don't think so." She said excitedly.

"Have you seen Marco anywhere?" She asked.

"Right here." Came the other Italian voice. Everyone turned to the entrance of the Temple Mount. Marco was standing, his shirt and shorts torn, Beretta in his hand. "Step away from that box Riccardo." He said. Riccardo turning with a smile.

"I don't have time for this shit." He said, and flicked his wrist. The cavern erupted in gunfire as the guards shot at Marco. "NO!!" Lara screamed.

"Hold you fire!" Riccardo barked. Marco looked down as a spot of red slowly spread over his chest. He fell to the ground as Lara reached him. He looked at her, the sparkle in his emerald eyes gone. "Hey you." He said weakly. She smiled, but felt tears forming around her eyes. "Oh don't do that." He whispered and reached up to wipe them away. She rubbed her face against his palm, which was still unusually smooth. "You're gonna be okay." She said quietly. He managed a small laugh, but coughed.

"You know that's not true and so do I." He said. She choked back a sob.

"Stop…Riccardo…" He said, and his head fell back.

"_No…"_ She said softly. A tear fell on the corner of his mouth. If only it was like a fairy tale, and the tear would bring him back to life. She bent down and kissed his lifeless lips. "He'll pay Marco…I promise…" She said into his ear. Riccardo burst into laughter. Lara stood up, white hot anger coursing in her veins. She pulled her pistols out and began shooting the guards. "What are you doing?" Riccardo screamed. The few guards that were standing fell to the ground. "Now it's just me and you. All of your guards are lying in a pool of their own blood. You don't have backup now." She stepped quickly up to the pedestal and landed a punch to his cheek. He wiped blood from his lip, and looked up at her, narrowing his eyes. "You really want to fight me?" He asked.

Lara laughed and hit him again. He scowled and pushed her back. She stopped herself from tripping into the acid and fell back onto the hard rock. He stepped over her and raised his foot. She rolled out of the way as he brought his large foot down. She stood up and kicked at his back, but he spun and caught it, painfully twisting it. Lara fell in a cry of pain and he kicked her in the ribs. "What's wrong?" Lara grunted and rolled over. He bent down and grabbed her jaw. "Cat got your tongue?" He asked, and backhanded her across the face. She fell to her knees and spit. It was a sticky crimson color. She smiled. "Is that all you've got?" She asked. He laughed and stepped toward her. She stood up quickly and drew one of her guns. She fired just as he hit her hand and knocked the gun from her hand. She stepped backward doing a spin and raising her other pistol. She fired again, this time grazing his shoulder. He stopped and grabbed it, then kicked her arm. She howled in pain and her other gun went flying. He came up with his fist raised. As he punched she grabbed his arm and spun around him, jabbing her knee into his back. He growled and brought his hand back. She caught it and twisted it behind his back. He fell to his knees and Lara wrapped her arms around his neck. "Goodnight, Mr. Bianchi." She said slowly. He grabbed her arms and flipped her around him. She felt a jagged piece of the rock go into her back. She cried out and he laughed, wiping his mouth. He kicked her once more then went back over to the pedestal. Lara raised her head up shakily and watched him. He was smiling and reached forward. He slowly wrapped his fingers around the Ark. At first all was silent, but then he tried to pull away. His finger's wouldn't come off of the Ark. "What the…?" He said silently. And then like a free flowing tattoo a black liquid traveled up his arm and spread all throughout his body. He began screaming as blood starting dripping from his eyes, nose, and ears. Finally he pulled hard enough. She saw one of his hands still attached to the Ark. The Temple Mount started rumbling. Zip managed to remove the rope bounding his hands behind his back and helped Winston. "Lara, c'mon! This place is gonna blow!!" Zip cried.

"Zip, take Winston and get out of here! I want those staffs…" She said. Zip looked uncertain for a moment, then him and Winston rushed toward the exit of the cavern. Lara crossed the ladder and stepped over Riccardo's charred body. She grabbed the staffs. A huge tremor suddenly rocked the cavern, and the pedestal, even the giant statue sank into the ground. The place was getting ready to cave in on itself. The Ark was vibrating slowly, the white light getting brighter. She took one more look at it then hurried across the cavern. Pieces of the rock ceiling began falling. She dodged a piece as it fell and snapped the ladder in two. She fell for a brief moment, and had to drop the staffs to grab the ledge. She looked back and watched them fall into the abysmal blackness. She pulled herself up. "Lara…wait!" She heard the scratchy, raspy voice of Riccardo. She looked back and saw him hanging on with his one hand. She knelt down and looked at him. "How pathetic…" She said softly. "Lara please, I have a pregnant girlfriend, I have so many things to do." He said pleadingly. "But the staff's are down there now. Isn't that what you want?" She asked.

"I can't die now Lara…I can't!" He said, his deep voice breaking, the Italian accent thick as ever. "Oh c'mon, you've lived a good life." She said, wiping blood from her nose. He managed a weak laugh. "I'm only 28…" She sighed.

"I said good, not long." With that she raised her foot and brought it down with force on his hand. He fell, screaming dark curses. She stood up and covered her face as more rock pieces fell from the ceiling, exploding just feet from her. A torch the statue was holding fell into the acid. The fire caught quickly, spreading like disease. The rumbling became louder and the floor started to crumble, only blackness beyond that. She ran over and picked up her pistols, holstering them. She ran toward the exit, but stopped as the floor Marco's body was on started to crumble. She rushed over and grabbed his hand as the floor broke away. His muscular body was heavy. She brought her lips and kissed his hand and whispered something so softly even she couldn't hear it.

"_I…I love you Marco…"_

She let his body fall. It disappeared almost slowly and softly, like in a dream. She stood up and dived forward as the floor in the rest of the Ark room crumbled. The fire reached the Ark and it exploded in a deafening _BOOM_ ! She ran forward as rocks began falling constantly from the ceiling and the walls began imploding. She covered her face as fire sprouted up between her feet. She jumped over it, landing painfully on her feet. She restarted her sprint. She could hear the rumble of rocks and feel the heat of fire behind her. She pumped her legs faster. She saw light at the end and ran faster. She didn't know what was at the bottom of the mountain, but she would have to jump. The blast wave of the explosion propelled her forward and she managed to get into a swan dive pose. As she fell a helicopter flew up. She grabbed the metal bar of it with one hand, and it flew away. A rope ladder fell out and she climbed weakly to the helicopter. Zip was in the cockpit and Winston was beside him. Anaya was standing holding the ladder. "Thank God Lara I thought you were dead." Lara managed a weak laugh.

"Me too." She said softly. She looked over as Mount Moriah was engulfed with fire. "I take it the staffs are a negative?" asked Zip. Lara nodded.

"I guess the Ark of the Covenant still is, and will remain only a myth to the rest of the world." Anaya said sadly.

"Not everything is meant to be found…" Lara said weakly. She pushed back the thoughts of Marco. She had never felt so alive before. Her first adventure had definitely left her scarred physically and mentally. From now on she wanted to travel alone and not worry about someone else. Of course she would never forget Marco and his smooth body and beautiful eyes, but she never wanted to have a repeat. "I think it's time to go home." Anaya said with a laugh. Lara looked over at her and smiled. "Your definitely right…" She said. Lara closed her eyes and saw Marco. Almost instantly she was asleep and didn't awake until she was back home in London.


	6. Epilogue: Calcutta Not The End

Epilogue: Calcutta- Not the End 

_3 years later- 1996_

"What's a man gotta do to get that kind of attention from ya?" Came a southern male accent from behind. A magazine was thrown down on the table Lara was sitting in front of with her on the cover, her pistols drawn and raised and behind her the dead body of Sasquatch. She was at the Imperial Hotel in Calcutta to meet someone who worked at the high tech Natla Technologies. Lara smiled, her favorite round glasses hiding her eyes. "It's hard to say exactly, but you seem to be doing fine." The man laughed.

"Well great, though truth is it aint me that wants you."

"No?"

"Noooo, Miss Jacqueline Natla does, head of Natla Technologies, you know, "great of all things bright and beautiful." He laughed and opened a laptop in front of Lara. A woman came up wearing a black trenchcoat. She had striking blue eyes and shiny blonde hair. Her lips were red, full, and plump. "Seal it Larson…"

"_Larson huh…?"_ Lara thought.

"Ma'am." He said obediently. Money started falling from the top of the screen. Natla smiled and held her hands out. "Feast your eyes on this Lara, how does that make your wallet rumble?" Lara laughed and stood up.

"I'm sorry, I only play for sport." She said quickly.

"Then you'll like a big part." Lara looked back down at the screen as it changed to a snowy mountaintop. "Peru," she started again, "vast mountain ranges to cover. Sheer walls of ice. Rocky crags, savage winds and, there's this little trinket. An age-old artifact of mystical power buried in the unfound Tomb of Qualopec." Natla smiled. Lara was thoroughly intrigued now.

"That's my interest. You could leave tomorrow…are you busy tomorrow?"

Lara could only smile.

"_It's about time for my next adventure…"_ She thought happily.


End file.
